Area-Based School Partnerships
Posted 3rd April 2023
On Monday 20th March, Red Kite Alliance hosted a networking event to explore the benefits of being a member of the Alliance and the importance of collaboration.
Professor Mel Ainscow and Dr Paul Armstrong were invited to share the findings of their research project on Area-Based School Partnerships. The project, undertaken with colleagues from the Manchester Institute of Education at the University of Manchester, explores the evolution and efficacy of area-based partnerships across different regions of England. Earlier studies indicate that collaboration between schools has an enormous potential for fostering the capacity of education systems to respond to learner diversity. More specifically, they show how much partnerships can help to reduce the polarisation of schools, to the particular benefit of those students who seem marginalised at the edges of the system.
Mel Ainscow
Mel Ainscow is Emeritus Professor, University of Manchester, Professor of Education, University of Glasgow, and Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology. A long-term consultant to UNESCO, he is internationally recognized as an authority on the promotion of inclusion and equity in education. He has recently completed collaborative research projects with networks of schools in Australia, Chile, Uruguay and five European countries. Examples of his writing can be found in: ‘Struggles for equity in education: the selected works of Mel Ainscow’ (Routledge World Library of Educationalists series). In the Queen’s 2012 New Year Honours list, Mel was made a CBE for services to education.
Paul Armstrong
Paul Armstrong is Senior Lecturer in Education, Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester. His research interests concern contemporary forms of educational leadership and management and professional collaboration between educators. Paul has over 17 years’ experience in education research leading on national and international projects and publishing across a number of areas including educational improvement, networking, leadership, management and policy.
Prof Ainscow and Dr Armstrong’s research found contextual factors are important in shaping area-based cooperation. Additionally, the historical, political and cultural characteristics of a locality are key to understanding how and why partnerships evolve and sustain.
The results of their research project will be published next month, but conference attendees were given advance sight of the report's recommendations, which included that area partnerships should be:
- Led locally by coordinating groups made up of credible practitioners
- Established with a clear purpose that drives decision making and action
- Evidence-based, leading to an analysis of barriers experienced by some learners
- Focused on finding ways of mobilising local expertise to address these barriers
- Inclusive of all local schools, whatever their governance arrangements.
Whilst Red Kite Alliance is in no way complacent and continually striving to improve and enhance its provision and partnership working, it was reassuring and heartening to hear that the report’s findings closely align with the Alliance’s aims and approaches.
At the event, attendees met several of the Red Kite team leading the coordination and delivery of the Alliance and its other Red Kite strands – Red Kite Teacher Training and Red Kite Teaching School Hub. Working as one team, under the umbrella of Red Kite Education, alliance schools are supported with a rich resource of professional development training and qualifications for school staff at all stages of their career.
Additionally, the alliance showcased its development of the RED Award, an accreditation, exclusive to Red Kite Alliance schools, to support schools to review, strengthen and celebrate their provision in terms of equality, diversity and respect for individuals and community cohesion.
‘The strength of Red Kite Alliance is that it unites schools from a wide range of schools and contexts. From city centre to rural, there is a rich variety of local authority, single academy and multi-academy schools collaborating, sharing and learning from each other. Red Kite Alliance believes we are stronger together and being part of this community enables schools to look beyond their own settings and work with others. Collaboration truly is at the heart of all we do.’
Sue Lewis, Director of Red Kite Alliance
‘The education sector is recognising the importance of moving back towards strong, collaborative partnerships, working together in the best interests of children. It is a trend that was started by Red Kite Alliance 14 years ago and proudly continues to this day. Let’s keep it going!’
Richard Sheriff, Chair of the Red Kite Alliance Steering Group and CEO Red Kite Learning Trust (RKLT)